Moving Time

Yes. The new blog for the next stage of life has begun.

sharayahenargentina.blogspot.com. See you there!

(I'll probably post some thoughts from the final adventures eventually, but don't hold your breath!)

Surfin' Ireland (to the Beach Boys tune)

Yeah, doesn't quite work as well. And I often got strange looks when I told people I was going to learn to surf in Ireland. It was as if the land of leprechauns was not allowed to have nautical-type fun even though, hello?!, it's an island. Surrounded by water--conditions, as Flight of the Conchords would say, are perfect (just don't wear socks while surfing. THAT would be strange).

We took a taxi from our hotel in Killarney to Inch Beach, a drive that would take just about 45 minutes. But as you may have read in Quirks, our taxi driver was awesome and was even willing to pick us up when we were done (kind of difficult to find a taxi in the Inch Beach area).

So first came the amazing wetsuits; those things that will show off all of our God given curves. Or, as Ariel and I decided, turned us into superheroes (which we are). Look at those bangs! And look at Ariel's don't-mess-with-me face!Our instructor was great. He had crazy red curly hair, and told stories of the many places he had surfed. When he found out I was Texan, he told me about surfing in Indonesia with a Texan who wore his ten-gallon hat. When his Irish accent then proceeded to do a Texas accent, I had to laugh.

The better part of the story is that all three of us--me, Ariel and pops--stood up!!! Dad in fact, beat us to the punch (the same dad who was unwilling to go skydiving for my birthday I might add. Poke, poke.) The feeling was incredible, especially because on the last run for Ariel, we both went at the same time and stood! How beautiful is that?We ate at the restaurant on the beach before going back to Killarney. There we decided to kill time by watching a movie. Can I just say Inception is better the second time? Ahh! I love it!

Christmas in Killarney!

That is, more like Saturday in Killarney. Well first--a taxi to the train station. A train to Mallow. Another train to Killarney. A taxi to our not as cute hotel. Killarney!!!

Killarney has a beautiful national park that I had read about. I was told to rent bikes and just go for it. So that's what we did. The place was beautiful, the paths were great, and the bikes were only 10Euro each (no time limit that I know of). One word: GREEN!! I mean, I'm sure you could tell from other photos how green Ireland is, but this just hit the nail on its head.
We made our way to an old castle which we could only explore on the outside. Nevertheless, it was also situated on a beach which made for a great resting point. We continued on around and around until we came to a point where literally couldn't go any further. "Unless your bike was made for a guy named Peter," my mom had joked. I talked about how I missed Lake Tahoe and all its perfect rocks for some Little Mermaid singing. Sure enough, that's what Ariel and I sang on the ride back.
One of the workers for the bike company wanted to take a picture of us in front of his store. Good advertising, no? But I was thrown off when he said right before the picture, "Ok! Everybody say S***!" Say wha-? Oh well.We went to dinner at a traditional Irish pub called O'Donahughes. The food was very filling, but it was the dessert that was especially magical--a thing called Banoffi Pie! The end.

Notes

A couple valuable snippets from the Go Conference seminars:

Christ has not called me to a place, He has called me to Himself.

In Matthew 8 and 14 there are two storms. One Jesus calms, the other He walks through. We aren't asked to concentrate on the storms, but on Christ.

When it comes to reading the Bible, we need to view it like a feast. If we continue to have a good meal, we won't be tempted to eat the wrong things. But when we starve ourselves, when something comes by (some thing that we may even know will not satisfy or fill us up), we'll eat it. Then we'll get sick.

Too much

There is too much to say. Also, I can not upload pictures at this time because there are 500 of us using very little bandwidth. Is that the right spelling? I'm not a computer person..

Things to catch up on eventually (right now I should be leaving to have dinner):
1. Saturday, Sunday and Monday in Dublin.
2. The first two days of the GO Conference in Holland.
3. I eventually want to recap my road trip in Texas, but we'll see how that goes.

I do request that those of you who read this pray for me. I am learning a lot more than I think my brain can handle, but I am so grateful. Please lift up my transition time, as well as those I will be serving and living with in Cordoba.

Thanks friends!

My goodness, my Guinness and GOOOOAAALLL!!!

So it's still very clear that I don't like beer. I suppose that's not what this day was all about, so I let everything lead up to it in time.

First, Ariel came at 2:30am. She had taken the only direct flight from Athens to Dublin in order to spend time with yours truly before she goes back home to start the real world. Aww shucks moment I do believe. My dad had said, "Have fun reminiscing" as he kissed me goodnight. I remember saying that I was tired, but he was right. I don't think we actually closed our eyes to snooze until about 4:30 or 5.

So we wake up, eat some b-fast, and then head out toward Molly Malone and the very tall spire. Who's Molly Malone and what's the spire all about? I still don't know, but I reckon they're important to see. So we took the tourist pictures and moved on to the Guinness Storehouse. It's one of the biggest breweries in Europe, with the museum itself being 7 stories!

The museum is not all that interesting, well, unless you REALLY REALLY REALLY care about beer. Which I don't. There is a floor dedicated to learning how to pour from the tap. You even get a certificate for pouring the "perfect pint." Then you're supposed to drink your beer. Maybe that's how they try to make the museum more interesting. Get you drunk, then everything is awesome, man! No.. something to note though, is that there's a science to drinking beer that I never knew about. Apparently, you're supposed to take a breath, take a swig, gargle around your mouth, then swallow. Exhale through the nose. I definitely tasted a difference this way, but not a difference to convince me that it tastes very good. The main thing is that you're never supposed to sip beer.

Fascinating, I know.

We moved on to lunch-ish at Subway, the international safe haven for American food. Better than McDonald's at least, and more filling than Starbucks, although that has become a staple I've noticed for many American international travelers.

Then Ariel and I went on to St. Patrick's cathedral. I was thankful to get a redo on my picture taking. After too, the weather had cleared up so that we had some great sun in the green lawns outside of the cathedral. Mmhmm!!Something I've been wanting to do ever since finding out about Argentina was to go to a soccer game where the people actually care about what's going on. The World Cup helped me to care more about the sport myself, and I have been playing some throughout the past few years. I still don't fully understand it, but I have seen a certain Elijah Wood movie that led to the understanding of its great importance in our world culture.So here we are at the Shamrock Rovers game in Tallaght Stadium just outside of Dublin. They're like a minor league team in America, but they are very entertaining. Naturally the best part was hearing all of the memorized cheers that usually are sung to the tune of bar songs. What was most surprising though, was the sound of cheering even when players didn't score. The general feeling during the game was of encouragement: no wonder no one gets angry when the game ends in a tie. My whole family will stand by the fact that this is why soccer doesn't fly in America compared to the other sports.

Well, off to bed. I hope to learn to surf tomorrow! And stay tuned for the story of one of the best taxi drivers in the quirk blog!

Matthew, Mark, Luke and Paddy

Marnin' mates. It's currently day tree of the Ireland tour, but I've come to pay me 'spects to day two. Too pirate sounding? Lol. Trying to convey the wonderful Irish accent can be tricky.

I um.. didn't wake up until 12:30. I tried to tell mom that jetlag gets me every time. I s'pose now she understands what I mean. We set on our way to the hop on/hop off tour bus so that we could get to Christchurch and St. Patrick's Cathedral. I had heard in an earlier tour that the Gaelic word "Kil" means church: so think Kilkenny, Killarney, etc. as all referring to a church of some sort. Does that then mean Christchurch can translate to Christkil? duhn duhn duhn...

Speaking of kill, I dropped my camera in Christchurch and it officially broke. No hay funciona. I was trying to have a good attitude about it, but I was just frustrated that I had dropped it again (the first time was at Dachau). Thankfully, I have wonderful parents who supplied me with another camera, and this one with the proper outlet I will need in Argentina. God, you are amazing and I will never deserve you!

Time passed quickly this day, since I had gotten up so late, so while we wanted to go to Gaol, we ended up going straight to Trinity College in order to see the Book of Kells and Long Room. Word to the wise, the Book of Kells is not that interesting. I mean, it's interesting because of how old it is, but there's not much to it. Thankfully, we had skirted through without paying the 9 Euro a pop, as we arrived for the final ten minutes of the museum opening.

On the other hand, Long Room is most definitely worth it. I wasn't allowed to take pictures (well, nor could I!), but it is basically one giant library full of ancient books that also disperse that delicious ancient book smell! I think there's a scene in Harry Potter using this room, but I could be wrong. Just go see it!

I don't remember precisely when this happened, but at one point on the tour bus, we noticed that at every stop the bus driver was giving a different name. When we hopped on, he said, "Ay guys, welcome to the Dublin tour bus, me name is Mat-two." (They don't pronounce the "th" the way we do.) On the next stop, he was called Mark. You guessed it, then he was Luke. So all three of us shouted "John!" for the next stop

"Oh you caught me!" he had said, and then said that you could call him whatever you like. "In fact, call me Paddy!"

Classic.

We walked to the fair statue of Molly Malone, as well as a converted church. Hmm.. that's a funny phrase. A former-church-turned-tourist-information-center. Near there, we got a fantastic dinner where we were served by a kind waiter. One thing is for sure, Dublin is filled with perhaps the sweetest people I've ever met overseas. There's more to come on that in the next day's adventures. Also to be included: time with Ariel!!!

Oh laddy

Ireland. It really is that green. So far, it really is that beautiful too.

I arrived after more than enough hours of traveling. 2 hours spent watching Invictus (Matt Damon!) on the plane, 3 hours layover in London Heathrow, and 1 hour waiting for my parents in the Dublin airport. All the rest of that time? Sleeping.

When we finally found each other, we took a taxi to a quaint hotel named after my roommate coming to stay with us on Friday. Okay, not named after her, but the same name. That is, Ariel House. Pretty perfect, eh? And it really is pretty great for only 65 USD a night!

We dropped off our things and then headed toward town to take a hop on/hop off bus tour. This way, we could see what there was in Dublin that we would want to spend more time on in the coming days. We have made a sufficient list, mind you, and even already have some good pictures from the bus (when it wasn't raining on us!).
After the tour, we decided to take a taxi to meet up with one of mom's friends from work. Funny story. Since we didn't know the specific address, we thought the safest bet was taking a taxi. When we told the taxi driver the address, I noticed him try to get over to another lane, but it was too late. Have I mentioned that they drive on the left side here? Any who, the driver makes a giant circle to a place, the place we were going, a mere two and half blocks away from our beginning location. Smooth, Longorias, smooth.

Dinner was at Temple Bar. Not only is this the name of the bar, it's also the name of the general location in Dublin. In this area are loads of pubs and restaurants (that are mainly pubs). I figured that just as when I was in Germany and I sipped a German beer, I should probably try a Guinness.
I still don't like beer. :P But I aimed to at least drink to the bottom of the label "Guinness" on my glass. I came so close!

Now it's 9pm and I'm calling it a night. Blame the jetlag, but also give credit to the miles of walking I did in NYC. I'm pooped!

Moment

Just a quick reminder of hope.

A woman, carrying a baby in front of her, holding onto another via leash, with a little girl (maybe 9) walking alongside. Obviously, this woman has a lot on her hands and it's dreadful she's traveling alone. (There is a ring on her finger, so he must just be at the destination, I assume.)

Baby starts crying, and doesn't stop, throughout the transfer from terminal 3 in London Heathrow, to terminal 1. Line after line of customs and security make the moment perhaps unbearable, but she doesn't lose her nerve. She just takes it. Trying hard to rock the baby; willing to carry the other and bounce him up and down when he whines every now and then. Not once, do I sense that she's upset or frustrated.

She was behind me quite a ways, so I didn't know what to do. Finally, another woman had the right idea. She let her pass in front of her in the queue, as it's called. That brought the woman closer to me. "Keep going," I said, waving her on. You would've thought that Andre the Giant had called everyone to move. The entire line split and let her go ahead. They all had happy looks, knowing that if they were in that position, they would hope the same was done for them.

Simply beautiful.

Yo Jeter

Day four and five in New York.

Woke up Sunday rather excited to go to Redeemer Presbyterian, also referred to as Tim Keller's church. You know, like Mark Driscoll's church up in Seattle, right? Mr. Keller only preaches during the 6pm service, but I was happy to see what the body of believers in New York looks like. They meet at several different campuses throughout the Manhattan Island, so I picked the one that is pretty close, and doesn't start till 10:30. Dr. Lin preached about the Holy Spirit as the all-consuming (but not consumed) fire in Acts 2. I recommend you find the podcast, because it was very interesting! I liked the use of liturgy in the service, as well as the prayer offered by one of the congregation. Reminded me a lot of my times at Third Presbyterian in Richmond.

Met up with Kathryn right after (she had battled with the subway to get to church, and lost) for a quick Starbucks run before separating yet again. She went to a photography class while I went to the Empire State Building. The plan was I would wait in line, and she would join me after the class. Most research suggests the lines to the ESB are just as epic as the building itself.

However, I literally walked in the door, and was at the top within about half an hour (there are a few short lines for security and for the elevator after all). Beautiful. The views, I can not share with you, as I had left my camera in the apartment thinking I could get in on my way back from church. Oops. But for future reference, if you ever go to NYC, you must go to the top of the ESB. The views are too fun, and paying the extra money to go to the 102nd floor (as opposed to just the 86th) is worth it. The taller section is a much smaller area, yet not crowded either. And the men in uniform really are experts on the subject of the buildings and their history :P

Met up with Kathryn at the Flatiron building. I made her take a few pictures for me since I am impressed by the first skyrise in New York. Then it started to rain on us which we took advantage of. For you see, in Flatiron area, there is a famous burger joint known as Shake Shack. Typically, the line is at least an hour long, but since everyone wanted to avoid getting wet, we got through in 20 minutes. Hooray for short line number two for the day!

We couldn't think of what to do next. And then it hit us: let's be hipsters! NYC is a film capital after all, why not hit up an indie movie? It turned out we saw a really good one, one I think my pops would appreciate as it is about what makes art, art, and what can lead to the exploitation of art. I'll leave this link as a taste of what we experienced. Oh, and I should mention we were in Washington Square area by this point, close to Katz Delicatessen. That's right, I'll have what she's having.

It was still rainy and we must admit, we were tired. So we pretty much called it a night.

Today I decided two New York things were mine for the taking. The first: Ellis Island.

Before making my way to the southern tip of Manhattan, I rearranged my luggage so it was sufficiently supplied with what I needed in case I lose either one during transfer. I also had to make an extra key for my friend since one of the spare keys she had lent me wasn't working properly. During that time, I met a new friend, but I'll write about him in my other blog. Now, I was set to go.

Granted, all this time, I have not been using a map. I like looking up at buildings for my sense of direction, so I should have known that I would be helpless in the financial district, since I've mainly been midtown. I eventually found my good friend Battery Park, and proceeded to the truly epic line of all of New York. It is very clear that if you want to go to both Liberty and Ellis Island, you will need a day to see it properly. I only wanted to see one, so that helped me shave a few hours off my trip (outside of getting lost, that is!). In the process, I was blessed to meet another couple from California, which made the wait not as bad.I also would suggest paying for the audio guide, as it provided great information throughout the self-guided tour. I'm glad New York renovated the place, and am thankful for all the exciting additions such as clothes, passports, photographs and more. Definitely an important history lesson that we should review in our day!

Next came the long trip to the exact opposite side of Manhattan for a Yankees game. While I've always been taught to despise the Yankees, I remembered one thing. My favorite player is a Yankee: Yogi Berra. In fact, I saw someone wearing a tshirt jersey of his and thought long and hard about finding one myself. I remembered I didn't need it, but still. Close call.Besides, the Yanks lost (and I laughed at the fair weather fans), but at least Kathryn and I got to enjoy an important American pasttime.

Yo Brooklyn

Now I'm just in a New York state of mind or somethin'. I know, I know, cheap shot. But it's so fun to put "yo" in front of words now. In fact, at the Trailer Park Lounge last night, we had gotten into a conversation on how we would find the Cash Cab. Various jokes came into play, and it ultimately looked like I was finding it, pulling it over, taking out whoever was playing while holding a gun cocked sideways (kill shot!) and saying, "Yo cheesecake! Get outta my cab before I show you what's up." Too violent? I was thinking I'd make him an offer he couldn't refuse. bah dum cha!

More importantly, today we went to Brooklyn. The intention was to go to the museum there, but it didn't work out due to time constraints. It's okay though, walking the bridge was a treat in itself as you can see below:Afterwards, we hit up a coal oven pizza joint that's apparently the best NY pizza you could ever have. We waited an hour and a half in line and I started to wonder if they really just made those waiting feel starved and so they wouldn't know the difference. Just kidding. Grimaldi's doesn't have a top rating in Zagat's for nuthin'.Headed back to the Manhattan in order to try for the lottery tickets for West Side Story on Broadway. The way the lottery works (and this is pretty much for every show on Broadway just so you know), is you get to the theater 2.5 hours before the show starts. You put your name in a hat, and at 2 hours before the show, they call out a certain number of names who get orchestra seating (for WSS it was the first row--18 seats). If your name isn't called, then you can try to get tickets otherwise, but not at the discount lottery price.

We didn't win. But by the time we got there I realized how much I really did want to see it, so I was willing to shell out 50 bucks to go. Yeah, I like to live life on the edge. And I'm a fan of dressing up. :D

The play was so much better than what I was expecting. While Maria's voice was a little weak, I adored Tony. The dance sequences too, gasp! They blew me away with how much they utilized the stage space. Back to Tony, his voice during "Maria" gave me chills.

Plenty of great little laugh moments coupled with strong dance numbers and Spanish instead of English by the Sharks--I wanted to shout, "Yo Tony and Anita, that was awesome!"

Yo cheesecake

Day one and two in New York.

Grandma and Grandpa dropped me off at the airport, and were gracious enough to give me some cash for my taxi ride to Hell's Kitchen, the district where my good friend Kathryn lives. The plan was to drop off my things, then head out maybe to a museum before Kathryn got off work. Thus returns my motto: Be flexible.

It was raining, and there was an accident. So I actually got to the apartment (she had sent me her keys beforehand) right about the time she was getting off work. This worked out for the best, as the keys weren't exactly functioning any way. But I successfully lugged up my life, aka two suitcases, a backpack and a saxophone, four stories to an apartment only slightly bigger than my parents' former abode in Germany. (Kathryn was quite happy to hear that her apartment was comparatively "big.")

We then headed out for dinner at a local place, as Hell's Kitchen district is the home of every type of hole-in-the-wall restaurant you could ask for. We had some delicious Thai where I tested out my taste buds on some of the spiciest they had. Mmm!!

Walked around to Lincoln Center, which is a beautiful little square of high art performances. I hope she posts the pictures from that time soon, so I can share with you. Then a graceful walk to Columbus Circle, at the southwest corner of Central Park (also a location from the movie Enchanted :). Ooh, but the highlight of the evening was the bomoboloni from A Voce Columbus in the Time Warner Center. Holy smokes!

If you can't tell, Kathryn is a food connoisseur. She used to say in college, "I should weigh about 300lbs with the amount of food I eat, but I just happen to have a high metabolism. Don't worry, it'll catch up to me." She's so funny. And yes, I'm working very hard not to gain that much while on this trip--bombolonis are to die for!

The next morning, I awoke in order to meet up with a couple more Northwesterners:I dunno, I just told them, "It's my favorite Asians!" And this is how they posed..

We walked around. Mainly because I insisted so, considering how pleasant the weather was today, as well as enjoying the view of walking through a big city that does situate everything fairly close together. How else could we have walked right by the Chrysler building without noticing it? I must thank the cop from whom I had asked directions, since he responded by pointing in the wrong direction (through a building the opposite direction in fact!). No worries, we found it on our way back, only to find that we can't even go to the top. Lame.Next came the New York Public Library (Ghostbuster's anyone?), Times Square, Rockefeller Center, and lunch at Gray's Papaya. Scratch that. Lunch on the steps of the US Post office, facing Madison Square Garden. I was very happy, as the place served Pineapple juice that I just so happen to love (no reference to Psych involved here).We then walked to High Line Park, which is a renovated rail junkyard basically, that has some decent foliage but more importantly, halfway comfortable benches where all three of us took a very necessary power nap. I awoke to the sound of firetruck sirens. Ah, New York..Followed this up by, gasp, taking the subway. Admittedly, my first time for NYC, as I had just walked around my only other time here 9 years ago, as well. Yes, I looked for the Cash Cab before heading below the streets. Nada. We ended up at MoMA--the Museum of Modern Art. The free ticket Friday starts at 4pm, so since we were early, and I was loaded up on pineapple juice, I requested we find a bathroom first. Josh took us to his place of work close by, but as we were in our street clothes, we couldn't see his cubicle. Dropped by a belgian waffle stand on the way back, but by this point I was full, so I didn't even bother. The line around MoMA wrapped almost all around the block, yet was surprisingly fast. I have Target to thank!

Although the crowd was hard to weave through, I about lost it when I realized Van Gogh's The Starry Night was here. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? It's gotta be one of my favorite pieces. Tears certainly crept up, but stayed inside. It is not a very large piece, but I still love the curves and dents of the thickly laid paint. I was happy to see much of Picasso's cubism works there as well; not so pleased with Mondrian or Kandinsky (secretly proud that I knew who these people were. That art class in elementary school paid off! Just kidding, father ;)

We then met up with Kathryn at a great little diner called Trailer Park Lounge. This place is decorated with all the RV specials: a velvet Elvis, paper mache lights, vinyl chairs. They serve delectables like hamburgers, sloppy joes and tater tots. Of course, I went all out by ordering the quesadillas. haha. It was a great time had by all, and the joke about the possibility of yours truly being a robot continued on. They are ridiculous I tell you! 00101101001010.. I mean...Rojas and Josh had to go their separate ways, unfortunately, but I was so glad to see them. Kathryn and I on the other hand, went on to the Upright Citizen's Brigade, an hour-long improv comedy show. Hee-larious. That was some amazing talent. I'm talking, I hardly wanted to laugh, because I wanted to catch everything, and I was just so impressed by their talent!

Not too bad for a day and a half, huh?

As for the title. Rojas, Josh and I were walking through the city and we noticed some filming occurring in an office building above us. So a bunch of trucks for lighting equipment were parked on the narrow street, when a food truck of some sort tried cutting through. The driver calls out to another sitting in a lighting equipment truck, "Yo cheesecake, where's my coffee?!" In the best NY accent you can muster. I can do it for you if you'd like (I love assimilation). Any way, we chuckled about it in mild confusion.

Family

Currently in San Antonio enjoying the humble abode of Ruben and Elida Quintanilla. It's the second of I guess 4 legs of this journey. The first being hanging out with grandma in Ricardo, the next two being Dublin and Stephenville, Texas--for two very special items of entertainment: sugarcane Dr. Pepper and Baby O. I'm sure there will be pictures.

I'm only kicking myself because I just realized Milena lives in San Antonio. Oh well..

Nevertheless, the best part about visiting family, especially of the Hispanic variety, is that you always feel welcome. I knew I was in the right place after hearing, "So good to see you!" followed by, "Are you hungry? Would you like me to make you something?" I've enjoyed hearing some family stories I hadn't heard before, as well as just basking in the presence of great people to whom I'm privileged to be related. They are all very gracious, very loving. And they know how to cook!

More to come, but just felt the need to write something down. 5 days to NYC!

Ch-ch-changes

First came the glasses.

Next came the short hair!

What's next? I dunno, but some Dublin Dr. Pepper better be involved!

Post its

Garage sale went well. Made over $200, by God's grace. Fun story with the trumpet, but I'll get to that eventually. Also almost down to my traveling goal. Must. Get. Rid. Of. More.

Birthday for "Little" William. Best part for any Ward family birthday--crazy birthday singing!!

Saw Killers. It tried too hard to be like Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Failed, but worth a dollar.

Great conversation with Rachel H and Erin S. Gotta love Northwestern.

Lucas and Jessica are married. It was hot, yet the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens could never disappoint.

Almost halfway through season 5 of Lost. Ridiculous. Addicting. Can't wait to finish.

About to chop off my hairs.

Lunch with Porscha tomorrow!! Praying for her mom's swift recovery from surgery!

Orange pineapple banana juice is delicious.

Mmm what you wear

Perhaps it's just me that thinks this way, but I always feel that with international travel, I already have one strike against me for being American. I've heard too many stories of friends being yelled at, "You stu-peed Uh-meri-CAHN!" I'm very wary of the rolled eyes, or the cold shoulders when our group is too loud. For safety reasons, too, I want to be careful. I remember my team leader from the Russia trip who said that most Russians could just look at us and know where we were from. It's key, therefore, for me to be more of a chameleon.

Which is why, several months ago, I emailed my Argentinian team leader my concern particularly with clothes. I don't want to bring any more than what everyone else already has, I had decided. I don't want to bring too much; I also don't want to bring things I'm not willing to share. Additionally, I don't need as much any way. I had written down some personal goals at the beginning of this year, and one of them was the goal to reduce my life to two suitcases. I didn't know for sure at the time of the making of this list that I would be traveling as I am, but I had started getting rid of a lot then.

I still have too much. Nonetheless, the following list I received from my team leader helped me think more simplistic:

Clothing
2-3 long sleeve shirts
3-5 short sleeve shirts
2 pairs of shorts
4 pairs of jeans
1 casually-nice outfit
1-2 outfits that can get dirty
Enough underwear
Enough socks
Sneakers, Flip Flops, Flats (1 pair each)
Warm clothes, Pullovers, warm jacket

That's it. Seriously. Yes, for the two years. And yes, I'm thankful it uses the word "enough" for two of the items.

I've been practicing throughout this summer to live with only these items, but I'll admit right now, I have had more clothes usually. The shoe thing has worked out--I've only worn my tennis shoes or TOMs outside of flip flops (not to mention I'm a fan of being barefoot).

I have been blessed. I had a garage sale to encourage me to unload my clothes. I had already put in boxes before coming here what I was willing to sell, and I had gotten rid of at least two boxes of clothes since January (now that I mention that, I'm a little embarrassed that I had so much).

The other beautiful part of this story is that Peggy took me out shopping this week. I thought about what a God thing that she had decided to do so, "In order for you to have at least one pair of nice clothes," she had said. (1 casually-nice outfit: check!) What surprised me too, was that she insisted Banana Republic. I don't remember telling her, but I've told plenty of others that if I had the cash, all of my clothes would come from this store. Okay, I really like the jeans from Old Navy, but everything else.. Banana baby!

Not only that, but Peggy just so happens to be a whiz with the sewing machine. So, instead of buying any other clothes for myself for the trip, I can just have her make alterations on any of my ill-fitting clothing items.

The key is that it makes me even more aware of the clothing items I should keep. If it's so important for me to be unique with my clothes, then I simply need to make sure that the pieces I own are versatile. The dress, for instance, that I picked out, can be dressed down with flip flops, made fun with a scarf, or made super business-y with a blazer. So as not to go into too much detail, I will say that What Not to Wear has helped me think this through.

In the long run, what I wear isn't all that important. I'm a fan of color, but I should be thankful that I have clothes at all. I have enough to keep me cool in the summer, and warm in the winter. Many folk out there may not have the list I was given. Someone once reminded me of the flowers in the field that do not even work to be clothed so majestically. Why must I worry about what I will eat or wear? I'm worth more than those flowers in the sight of God. Just a thought.

A video that makes me smile

Oh the joys of taking care of Nolan!

Because who knows

I once played video games with a kid named Orrin. Orrin Parker. He's from middle-of-nowhere Nevada known as Walker Lake. I was in the area for a week, helping out with Vacation Bible School, and I was blessed to spend my first evening in town having dinner with his family. You should have seen how wide his eyes got when I told him my mom worked for GameStop.

For some reason, he didn't think you could be a Christian and play video games. To this day, I don't know where he got that reasoning, but I said that as long as video games doesn't come before God in his life, then it was okay. And sure, you gotta be careful what kind of games you play, but that was another conversation for another day.

So we spent the next hour playing Halo (the original), and he continued to be blown away at the fact a girl knew how to play this game. I guess it was too much for his 12 year old self to handle. I took some time to tell him what Jesus meant to me after we played. I spent the weeks after praying for his heart.

I tell this story because my heart was rejuvenated with the necessity of evangelism in all sorts of forms. This past Sunday, two women gave their stories about noticing God in their lives. They are former Muslims. Their stories reveal the tragedy of the Islamic faith as it does not allow women to be who God created them to be. Instead, they are oppressed, and forced into decisions that ruin their lives.

These women told of the long journey to come to an understanding of who Jesus really was. After all, Muslims believe that Jesus was only a good prophet, and that in his place, another man, most likely Judas, was murdered on the cross.

And during their stories, I could not help but think of Shaheen. Tears fell from my eyes as I thought about how she does not know the Lord, but that it didn't mean He was not pursuing her. I prayed for another dream, but also for a person. A real life person to come to her and tell her about Jesus!

A few weeks after I returned from Nevada, I got a home-made card in the mail from Orrin's mom. She thanked me for spending time with Orrin, and wanted to let me know that He decided to put his faith in Jesus a couple weeks after I had left.

As if that weren't enough, I think it was about a year later I got an email from someone who was praying for my trip to Nevada. Apparently, he had been forwarding my prayer request emails to his father, who wasn't a believer. He emailed me to let me know that because of my experiences, as well as present circumstances, his father had decided to believe as well!

I am not meant to change the world. That is God's business. As Mother Theresa said, "I can do no great thing, only small things with great love." Who knows what your words and your actions mean to a person. I don't think it's an accident that you ran into her, or sat next to him. I can't do it all, but I have been given the chance to pray to the God who can. I'm also not there right now with Orrin, or Shaheen, or my friend's dad. He is.

Please, pray with me.

Consequences

It's interesting because I'm not very good at chess.

I love the game, but I prefer playing it fast. I don't think much about my moves, and I like to challenge the other player to do the same. "Just play," I tell them. My few memorable moments include when Chris would beat me mercilessly on the chess set I bought with grandma's Christmas money; or the time James almost beat Matt in 4 moves. I love watching people play on the streets, especially when they have a timer. I'll never forget the guy who stood up from his chair, knowing he had lost, even though it was several moves away.

What makes that game best is when you can see ahead of the next move.

"It's twelve moves away, but it's there. You've got him."

I think of these characters in the show Lost and I think about the different moves that brought them to the island. Beyond that, their life experiences cause them to make the decisions they do. Most of them are ridden with guilt, even more of them have trust issues. They interact with each other (and the "Others") in pretty foolish ways.

There are times we ask God for things because we think it's a great next move, but we haven't looked much beyond that. In many cases, if God were to give us what we ask, someone else gets hurt. Tolstoy wrote a short story about a woman who was angry because God took away her child. She was immediately given a glimpse of what his life would have been like, and she realizes that the world was saved by his death. That he was saved too, by getting to die in his innocence.

I thank God that He doesn't listen to me very often when it comes to the things I want. Nonetheless, it is still difficult to discern what I'm supposed to ask for. What exactly is my life supposed to look like, then?

Maybe that's what Sarah was thinking when she offered Hagar to her husband.

It's scary to think of the consequences, when everything is said and done. To look back and see, "Oh, that's what brought me here."

I play chess rather quickly, but I hate living life that way. If I don't stop to think what I've done, or what I'm doing, I might turn into something ugly and/or foolish. Perhaps having begun Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis also makes me think this way. I don't want to be so far gone that there is no hope in turning back.

On the one hand, I think God's grace is bigger than that and that there is always hope. But on the other, it's so hard to watch, metaphorically speaking, dogs returning to their own vomit. To know that I too, am just one or two decisions away from destroying myself. Praise God for being ever-present. I pray I keep listening, keep wanting to listen. Oh to have the patience to see the twelve moves played out!

Run in with nature

I've been feeding the ducks at the local pond lately. Today I had a bunch of leftover hot dog buns that I, and sharing with some little ones who were playing at the park, fed to our winged friends. Little ducklings came along too, so I made sure they got some. Gotta be honest to say I got freaked out by the geese who had horns on their bills coming to get some of the bread. One of them kept squealing at me, and I think he (she?) thought it was cute. Just. Don't. Make. Eye. Contact...

The coolest part was when I got the Aflac ducks (you know, the white feathered ones?) super close to me. I notice they're more fearless. Any way, similar to the fish in Grand Cayman, they got so close, they started pecking at my toes thinking it was bread too. It didn't hurt. It tickled actually. But I also figured that was probably my sign to go, so I did.

On my runs over the past weeks, I've found a route along Morris and 3040. Last week, I looked down at one point only to see a snake! And then a little bit later to see a frog! The frog wasn't as scary to me, as I think I fall more along the lines of Indiana Jones' fear. But then the next day, I noticed the exact same two creatures still in the path, so I realized there really wasn't anything to be afraid of.

Today was a first. I took a longer route than normal and BAM!!! Spider web to the face!! It must have been spun between the trees. All I know is it made me shriek and I did what I could to get it off my face, and I brushed through my hair in hopes no spiders found a new nest! Yikes!

At least 2

I've decided that every summer there must be at least two weddings for me to attend. Something about the talk of covenant love and then all the dancing just makes me all warm inside.

The first for this summer was Matt and Autumn's wedding held at the Adolphus hotel in Dallas. It was beautiful, and of course with a little sass, as the brothers Pinckard all wore their hair in the traditional mohawk style. hehe. Well, and the amazing retro yet vintage wedding dress sported by the beautiful Autumn! Wowza.

I met up with so many people! And getting to bring Nolan along gave me a LOT more conversation starters:

"No. I'm not married."

"No. This isn't MY kid."

My favorite was probably with Lucas as at one point I had let Lauren Tucker hold Nolan while I grabbed something from the diaper bag. Lucas shouted, "Sharayah!" Hug. Then me, "I'm sorry, I have to find my baby."

"YOURS!?!"

"I mean, ah! My nephew."

It was wonderful seeing everyone. I mean just about everyone too. I still have yet to see the Lunas, but I can now include the Proctors, the Barclays, the Pinckards (naturally), Alisha Avara, Samariah and Andrea, the Saathoffs, the Adams (as in Patricia and Ken), the rest of the Bakers and Jacksons, etc. etc. Another group that could be listed in attendance I had already seen at the 4th of July celebration. In conclusion--so fun!!

Perhaps the best moment, other than everyone wanting to hold my precious nephew (understandably so), was the cupid shuffle. I brought Nolan along with me to the dance floor, and he fell asleep to all the rocking. Silly boy!!

Unfortunately, having to take care of a kid means I didn't get to snap any photos. Hopefully when the pictures are put up, I'll include one that made me laugh. But shhh, I can't spoil it!!

A little Lost

I had been contemplating watching all the episodes of that strange tv show I kept hearing about from others. Janna insisted I do so, saying there were so many faith messages, that I couldn't miss out.

So I started last night. I'm already 7 episodes into the first season (Don't worry, I still did something with my day). When I first heard the music, something inside me stirred. And then the name J.J. Abrams popped onto the screen as one of the head producers and writers and I knew I was in for a treat! (He's the guy who directed Star Trek: The Future Begins).

I've braced myself for the times when I won't know what's going on; I've been properly warned about how frustrating seasons 3 and 4 are (must remember the writers' strike at the time). With that said, I'm ready for a ride.

And so far, well pleased. I'm enjoying the storytelling, and the wide variety of characters. My favorite is probably Charlie, and that's not just because my peluche pinguino is named so, but it does help. I have a feeling that the line between good and bad characters is coming soon, so I hold on to my favorite loosely.

Living for that moment

Another week has ended (though I guess not officially), and it brings me to only 52 days until Argentinian life begins. Only 27 days until all the insane traveling kicks off. Only 2 days until I get to hang out with Nolan! :D

This week I learned a lot. And I'll include my only recommended scene from the movie The Back Up Plan which I saw with my sister-in-law.Anthony Anderson (paraphrased): Having kids is kind of like this: it's REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY HARD.. and then there's this beautiful moment--
Alex O'Laughlin: --that makes it all worthwhile?
Anthony: Naw man. But it's a great moment. And after that it's REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY HARD!!! And then you have another great moment.

Welcome to my life this week. I'm optimistic about how it went, though I won't deny it was tough. I've mentioned a lot of what I wished for before, but I'll add something else about what was watched on tv/movies. For this last day, I had a moment where I just prayed with them. I asked God to help us to love each other well, and to encourage each other. Soon after the prayer I made the rule where there would be no more physical fighting, no more using the words "Shut up" and no more calling each other names for the rest of the day. The punishment was time out, for which the time in the corner during time out would increase throughout the day. As a reward, I took them to a movie. A funny movie, don't get me wrong, but one in which these three things happened:

-The "minions" kept hitting each other (hint, hint)
-They called each other idiots.
- They said "shut up."

Talk about frustrating. I remember talking with Liz about the movie Up, and how the themes in that movie were not exactly younger generation appropriate at times. She mentioned how scary it would be to have your hero as a young kid turn out to be the enemy, and I realized I had never thought of it that way.

Things change when there's a kid involved.

Got to talk with Catie (Marshalek) Skogen tonight about some of this, as she too has a bun in the oven (hooray!). She realized how tight of a rein she and her husband will need to place on her tongue when their little girl comes into the world.

And it's not like kids pick up on all these things, but we must be careful about what they do. I was always impressed with Yolanda for protecting Noah from certain tv shows because of their teenager themes. While most kids are aiming to be teenagers, it's much more important that they be kids. You only get to be so once!

Talking with Catie was refreshing, as well as a short 3-mile run to end the day. Looking forward to resting tomorrow.

I hate traffic

I have a friend that's very intuitive. She noticed that I haven't been writing in my blog lately. That's saying a lot, as it's not even been a week. Yet, when I leave for the field, I want to be sure that I'm consistent so that it will not be too difficult of a transition. Plus, I read this great book, or rather the introduction to a great book, that talked about the reason that we write things down. It has a lot to do with defining how you're feeling, but then also lashing out on paper versus a person.

And don't you worry, I have a separate, secret notebook for the lashing out thing. I won't talk through my frustrations about folk on this.

What? I'm a youth worker, not a saint.

I will bring up the main thing that's been on my mind this week. It goes back to a topic I always have on the back burner. The concept is camp ministry. The short term, the, how can you make a difference in someone's life slash how can you expect a difference in your life after only a week, thing.

Because I'm babysitting these kids this week, and most of it just doesn't feel right. It's so difficult to watch kids react with violence. I wonder if it's the only way they can get attention. Or I wonder if fighting is all they know to get their way (which for the record, doesn't work with me).

Then there are other things I see, such as the standard of living for these guys. I wish they had a father. I wish that they had a working fridge and dishwasher. I washed the dishes by hand today, which isn't the issue. It's that they had to be washed after they came out of the dishwasher. So maybe they don't need a dishwasher? I've seen that work before.

Yet, there's another rub. All the t.v.! I wish they had more than one board game (we've already played that!), and more group games that didn't require a video console. But it's too hot to play outside (when one of them has asthma). They have this Nerf sword.. haha.. the concept of a Nerf sword has boggled my mind this whole week. The thing doesn't cut, but can sure hurt if you wield it correctly.

The tv shows are all about boys and girls liking each other. I guess I get that when you're in middle school (which even then is too young), but these kids haven't even left elementary school! Why do certain kids have to grow up too fast?

All this to say that I only have a week. Now, I only have 10 hours left. We've spent some time at the library, but I'm the one doing most of the reading. I did get to talk through the punishment of timeout with one of the kids. And I got to explain the story of Zaccheus with another. Little gems, which I know matter, but still are so small.

It's like that metaphor of fixing a stab wound to the heart with a bandaid. It tries to cover up the much bigger problem at hand. Namely, that someone is gonna die.

What do I do???

Another one

To include another important detail, I got to meet with a friend from Northwestern who's headed out for Haiti this coming week. Please be in prayer for our sister Ashley as she helps with Earthquake damage as well as college-focused ministry for the next three weeks! I'm excited to get back in touch with her after that time (before I leave) to hear the stories! I promise to share them too.

Pictured above however, is not Ashley, but Porscha!! We go way back. As in since 1st grade. When I reminded her of this fact, she said, "Dang, we're old!" But I just said, "Shh! No one has to know!!" hehe

We met at Jason's Deli where we got to catch up on all of the travels thus far in our lives. She's been to Rome, and studied abroad in Australia for a semester. The stories are hilarious, as well as beautiful. She talked of surfing off the coast of Aussie land, and it caused me to become more excited for my chance to surf off the coast of Ireland with Ariel in a month!! Wooo!!

What I also loved about catching up is seeing her story unfold. She talked of not being ready for marriage, but that opportunities in her life to serve others and become less selfish kept popping up for her. I listened in awe as she told the story of taking care of some elderly couples, and I was convicted of my need to reach out to more people who aren't able to help themselves. What was it said in James chapter 1?

Porscha was kind enough to let me have four tickets to the baseball game Thursday night, and this picture is of us after the game. She warms up the outfielders, you see, so we (me, Terra and Billy) got great seats. Unfortunately, however, Rangers lost to the worst team in baseball. C'mon boys!!

Unnecessary details

I am a story teller. In fact, I wonder if it's one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit that just doesn't happen to be listed. And by stories, I don't mean lies or tall tales. I mean that there are important events in our lives that need to be told well. You know those annoying people who say, "No!!! You're not telling it right!!"?

That's me.

And sometimes I include too many details. But for me, the details make the story.

I warn you that the story you're about to read is highly personal, and may mean nothing to you. It's just that the details matter. And to quote Richard quoting me, "I'm just sayin'."

The girl in the picture with me, the picture where I kind of look like I'm bald. The picture where I'm smiling funny--the girl is named Ashley. We met at Mardel, where we both worked for a ridiculously long time making very little money. We loved it mainly because we got to goof off a lot. I loved it because I got to borrow a lot of the Philip Yancey and Donald Miller books, read them, and then return them to the shelf.

Ashley always had spunk. That's what I'll call it. Others might call it sass. I would always retort with something off the wall though, and we would just laugh about it. We also shared a lot of embarrassing stories from our times working. Such as the time she fell on her face when trying to point out a book with her toe to a customer. In her defense, it was crazy to have such low shelves. Or the time I jumped into the trash compactor for a "wedding" ring. Or the time I fell off the scaffolding and I was more mad that nobody saw me to laugh than was I mad at actually falling.

Or the time I thought a customer was asking for the books about sex, but she was really asking for the Homeschooling program called Saxon.

Thinking back, maybe it was really me who had the embarrassing stories.

We also hung out together outside of work. She remembered a lot more of the details than I was expecting when we met for lunch the other day. She remembered one of my ex-boyfriends to which I responded, "Yeeeeahh.. not a shining moment for me." She also remembered our Mondays at Wendy's, which is why we met at Wendy's this time too. Should have included my Frosty cup in the picture! D'oh!

Ashley was the person I went on my first ever, without adults road trip. We talked about how fun that was. With the guy who told us about his friend who got hit by lightning while horseback riding. We were in the midst of horseback riding at the time, so you know.. comforting. And from there we launched into what has been happening in our lives ever since.

Mainly, what God has been showing us. There are things about us still very much the same. I kept thinking about how silly I still am, with the way I think about kids. She has two now, and talked about what it's like to be a mom. We talked about changing diapers, as I've done a few more these days with Nolan. We laughed at all that comes with that. I got to ask her what she's learned about herself now, as a married woman for five years. Even as she talked about what God's taught, I could sense the change.

It gives me goosebumps to talk to the ones who do grow up. To see how she's been pliable to God's will for her life. How she's become more unselfish in the way she makes decisions. To see her still have a little bit of that sass, but to also see how humbled she's been by being in a covenant relationship with her husband Steven. I'm looking forward to staying in touch with this one, even if it's just once every few years. We've had a lot of laughs together, and I really admire who she is, who she will be.

Plus, we pulled off one of the best pranks ever, and I will never forget it!!! I'm just sayin'.

Ultimate thoughts

Haha. No, I'm not being pretentious. It's not as though I'm saying, "Dude!" (which I'm not allowed to call my dad any way), "my thoughts are like.. the ultimate." sigh.

I just got back from a pick up game of ultimate frisbee. Literally, I drove away smiling because of how much fun that was. I've been playing almost every Monday since I got back (last week it was raining), and I have met so many people who love the game, and aren't half bad either. I'm not too good, as I only played every now and then in college, and semi weekly in Colorado. Oh how I miss Colorado's soft grass, on which we would always play barefoot. Any who..

Today was a fun nine on nine game. Had a few assists for goal, and in general got some good passes to me. Not bad for being one of two girls on the field. I praise God that they included me a few times. Plus, I didn't get my run in for the day, so I made it mostly about being the first down the field every time.

In other news, had some fun feeding the ducks at the nearby pond. Found a turtle, but couldn't decide what to name him. Swung on the swing set (naturally). Read the latest from the Ammerman library, The Hiding Place, by Corrie Ten Boom. Suddenly contemplating a short stop to a certain watch shop in Haarlem, Netherlands!

Oh, and to round off the evening, finished disc one of LOTR. Just to remind myself that I'm a nerd, and that if Kendra weren't in Alaska, I'd demand she drop by!

Choo

What was it he said?

It was on the Denver Mission Trip. This older gentleman was to be our guide for a prayer walk down the infamous Colfax street. We would stop at places like Planned Parenthood (got yelled at by a passerby on that one), a gay bar, some nude dance bar, adult stores, and finally, Denver's capitol, in order to pray. We stopped at a couple dumpsters, and the man told us of his former life as a dumpster diver. Doing whatever he could to get by. Oh! That's what he said!

"It's not abow choo."

Translation: the world is not revolving around us. Louie Giglio said it well in a video we watched this morning of his sermon about hope--God's got a huge mosaic story going on here. It would be unfair to focus on a single square piece.

Funny. Just this morning I was thinking about why we like the early stages of a romantic relationship. In the midst of them, we get deceived into thinking that it IS all about you and me. About the story of how we met; about the cute things we are doing for each other. Etc. We talk about, think about, and dream about the relationship and all it can be or is.

I started to wonder if the reason we, or to get personal, I, like the beginnings of a relationship brewing is because it is the moment that I finally feel like God is paying attention to me. Hard to confess, but I must say I can believe this lie. At that moment, grace is turned on it's head and I become that stupid Pharisee who feels like she's deserved the "gift" of relationship; so thankful she is not like that sinner in the back beating his chest and declaring, "Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner!"

Which makes me think about how next time can be different. Or to be content, to be truly satisfied, if there is no next time.

Ha! Suddenly reminded of a snippet I saw of Star Wars: Episode 1 where Qui-Gon Jinn tells Obi-Wan to not be caught up in the future at the expense of fully living the present moment. Those jedis always have wise things to say!

In all seriousness, I have been personally challenged to remember others more than myself. To look up, as it were, instead of looking in. Because it's not about choo, or me, for that matter. It's about how truly incredible God is, and how He has this good, pleasing, and perfect plan for our lives.

To think of when God tells Abraham to look to the heavens. Or the countless times David does so in the Psalms. How in their moments of confusion or pain, when they looked to the Creator, peace came.

To remember that Abraham and David were just regular people that allowed God to work through them so that they weren't just successful, but significant. To see how the choices they made, particularly the ones where they choose to obey God, have a lasting impact on our world today. Can I get an amen?

The man leading the prayer walk was encouraging us to pray more for others. I'm reading a book about how it's not important just to be good, but to do good. I'm challenged to let my prayer and my actions walk hand in hand for the sake of the gospel. The good news:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me

because he has anointed me

to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim

freedom for the prisoners

and recovery of sight for the blind,

to release the oppressed,

to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.

(taken from Isaiah, but used in Luke 4:18-19)

I apologize for the horrible grammar, as always, included in this post. I will not apologize if any of these words made you think, or to live differently. Or even if they made you angry.

The fundamentals

Working with little tikes is not my forte. It sure is a lot of fun though. This week reminded me of my eight weeks in the Reno area teaching VBS from week to week. I remembered how the first day is always a little rough because the kids are learning to trust you as someone in authority. By day 2, things are usually a lot better, and by the final days, you're thankful it's over only because of how much energy is spent.
After all, the kids are crazy and goofy and have about a thousand times more energy than you do. Nonetheless, if I had that much energy, I would love to keep going. It's cool to see their hearts. And on a less spiritual aspect, I LOVE watching them pass the ball to each other like a team, and watching their excitement when their teammates score. As Jacob (first in the line below) said, "I get the assist for that one, right!?"

I also remembered how much we need to encourage the students. We need to remember to be firm, but to also follow up the reprimands with love. How many times I had to stop a kid from travelling or double-dribbling with a shout, and to also say, "I want to see you become an even better basketball player than you already are--that's why I have to stop you from making the same mistake twice."
Kids are great. Sports ministry is also great. I hope I get to do some of this in Argentina, even if it is futbol!

Smirk / yuzz

Combo stealing from the Jill Bradford column(s).

Harrison, age 8: I play video games, and I think I turned out all right.

Patina, teacher: So what are ways that we can become friends with Jesus?
Mason, age 7: Ask our moms!

The Picture of Dorian Gray. I tell you, this one was a doozy. All the talking from chapter to chapter made finishing slow to come by. I will say that the combination of this book and watching two "Miss Marples" from Masterpiece Collection, made for a fun reading of Exodus' first couple chapters in my weak Irish accent. Where's Bonnie Gager when you need her?
Nonetheless, going all the way through the short novel is worthy of anyone's time. For me, I read the theme of sin's stronghold on the soul. Of the small idea that leads into a life of vanity, that leads into much more sin, and to see that sin affecting the community.

To me it is also a story of a need for confession. How much sin weighs on our conscience, and is in need of a gracious listening ear. I think of people who may be distraught by their own sin and the lie that entraps them consists of the unwillingness of our Father to forgive. How far from the truth! How do we lovingly remind people (and ourselves) that God will forgive us? I feel like one of the obstacles is this thing called guilt. I've seen it affect my own life, thinking that what I've done is too great.

Jesus is greater.

Confess, therefore, because He is faithful and just.

Finally, this is a story of choosing your friends wisely. I had to stop myself a few times to remember that a certain character truly is despicable. While what he says is nothing short of honey, it comes with the sting of death! Be careful who you listen to, even.. especially when it sounds pretty!

Weird

Upward Basketball camp started this week. I'm blessed to get to help out this year, along with fellow Lakeland Baptist friends such as Danielle Presley, Lisa Ridinger, Zach Cast and.. duhn duhn duhn!!! Cailey Cantwell!!

What??? Are you kidding me?? I held Cailey as a baby and now she's driving me to Wendy's for our lunch break?! I couldn't get over it.

The first half of the day, I got the third grade team, while the second half of the day I have a fourth grade team. I easily forget how complicated basketball is and, as I was telling the Ammermans, it's difficult to know what part of the game to focus on during our 15 minute practices before our scrimmages. There's offensive positions, defense, shooting, passing, half court rules, passing, dribbling, other rules. And yes, passing is a big deal to me, because it's so tiring to watch players hold onto the ball all to themselves. I'm happy to say that the fourth grade team did give every person a chance to shoot, even the kid who has autism!

I can use your prayers. As I told my Sunday school group, I haven't worked with kids in awhile, so I'm in need of patience and wisdom when it comes to dealing with discipline. This is a great group of kids though, and I'm excited to see what God does through the week!

Got tickets??

More like, got enough tickets. This doesn't cover my ticket to NYC, but it does have NYC -->London -->Dublin -->Amsterdam -->Rome -->Buenos Aires -->Cordoba.

Oh international travel..

I guess it's also called hope

At Wednesday's Bible study, we talked about God's omnipresence. We looked at Jeremiah 23:23-24:

Am I only a God nearby, declares the Lord,

and not a God far away?

Can anyone hide in secret places

so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord.

Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord.

As we spent time talking about what it means for God to be with us at all times, we talked about our feelings of loneliness. When we are lonely, we can be comforted in knowing God--the one who truly cares for us--is there too. Maybe we don't experience joy in those times, but we aren't completely lost.

Christy put it well when she said it was the difference between being sad and being in despair. On one hand, we can be overwhelmed by the feeling of sadness and also know it will not last forever. On the other hand, in utter despair there is no hope for the future because of not believing in a loving God who knows what's best for us.

All this was encouraging to me, and I didn't want to forget it.

Adventures in baby sittin'

I realized that Nolan loves to be taken for a walk. Indoors, mind you, as this Texas heat would be too much for him. But just walking around the bottom floor of the Ammerman house is quite lovely (same route I take when talking with awesome people like Ariel and Sara!).

So next thing I know, Nolan is asleep. And since there were some rather important soccer games on today, I decided to stop the walk and rest on the couch. Nolan did that cute thing babies do, where they get in the fetal like position and rest on their stomachs on your chest. Do you know what I'm talking about? Yeah. Adorable.

Until about 45 minutes later when you feel something warm on your stomach. "Wake up time!" I said, as I lifted Nolan so as to stop the pee from getting all over me.

But of course, since he's my nephew, and he's only three months old now, I still have to deem the experience as cute. I do however, earn the right to tease him about this in the coming years.

Baby sittin

One of the best parts of being home and not having much on my plate is the excuse to hang out with this guy.That's right. "Favorite" Aunt Sharayah gets her quality time with little sobrino Nolan!

Today was the first time I've heard him really cry, which was so.. dare I say it? Cute. Beth had told me that she was only giving him 2 ounces every two hours because of how much he was spitting up. For those of you who don't know, Nolan has been struggling to gain weight. So to remedy the sadness, I gave him another ounce and a half, because honestly I didn't know what else to do.

Sure enough, he's falling asleep, while smiling and sucking on the bottle. His eyes are so big and bright, I'm just staring back and happy that he's happy. But here's the catch, before he can fall asleep he's gotta burp. I even tell him, "You know little buddy, I'm gonna need--"

BUUUUUURRRRRPPPPP!!!

I was in the midst of setting up to pat his back when this came out. Probably a good 4.7 of the richter scale. Then I let him fall asleep on my stomach. Cutest. Thing. Ever.

I thought I'd also include how energetic he was before the big cry. I think he's gonna grow up to be very active. Runner? Soccer player (as he was watching the US game at the time)? Baseball player? Only time will tell..